Chapter Ninety-Five: The Xuanyan Manor

After a few exchanges, the woman who had warned Yuyan Liang earlier had finally forced him to understand that her promise to make him taste true suffering was no jest.

In almost no time at all, every one of the men he had brought with him was writhing on the ground in pain. They were nothing more than sycophantic lackeys, the sort who could swagger only while sheltered by another man’s power; when they met a real adversary, they were utterly useless.

More to the point, Duanmu Qing’s skill was renowned in Qishan for being no less formidable than any man’s. People there had long praised her as a heroine, so how could these wretches possibly stand against her?

Duanmu Qing advanced slowly toward the carriage. Yuyan Liang had nowhere left to retreat. The look on his face now, the air about him, was like that of a beaten stray dog, all the arrogance from moments ago gone without a trace.

Duanmu Qing was warmly affectionate toward her companions, especially Wu Yue, who was a few years younger than she was; with her, she played the role of a considerate and genial elder sister. But when it came to the scoundrels before her, she showed not the slightest mercy.

“Still planning to stop us?” Duanmu Qing asked coldly, and her contempt made Yuyan Liang feel a chill run down his spine.

How could he have known that this beautiful woman would strike so ruthlessly? One after another, the men at her side had fallen, and there had been no chance to fight back at all.

Did such a ferocious woman truly exist in this world?

Yuyan Liang was somewhat dazed and disheartened, but fortunately Duanmu Qing did not press him further. Instead, she took Wu Yue and left straightaway.

“Young master, that woman hits too hard. We are no match for her.”

“Useless fools! All those days boasting to me about how capable you were, and now that I need you to do something, you shame me instead. What good are you at all?”

After cursing them for a while, Yuyan Liang had these worthless fellows send him home. But he would never let matters rest here. How could the eldest young master of the prestigious Yu family be bullied by a woman?

He was famous for his debauched, roving ways, and no woman had ever escaped his grasp.

Now that he had learned how dangerous Duanmu Qing was, he decided to return home first and gather more men before heading straight for Willow Alley. In any case, that person could not possibly run away.

That night, after Jiang Chen finished dinner at home, he was just about to head out.

Duanmu Qing looked at Jiang Chen, then turned her curious gaze toward Wu Yue. As if thinking of something, she gave a knowing smile.

“Hey, little sister, aren’t you going to ask where he’s going?”

Wu Yue blinked her clear eyes in surprise. “Why should I ask?”

“What if your Brother Jiang Chen goes somewhere he ought not to go, does something he ought not to do, and deliberately hides it from you? Wouldn’t that be letting yourself suffer for no reason?”

Duanmu Qing shot Jiang Chen a mischievous glance, clearly hoping to stir up trouble.

But in truth, she was simply curious why Wu Yue trusted Jiang Chen so completely. If this were her own Han Yuyang, she would certainly have asked again and again where the man had gone, and only then would she have felt at ease.

Yet Wu Yue only answered very calmly, “Because I believe in Brother Chen.”

“Just like that?”

“Mm.” Wu Yue’s answer was firm and unwavering.

Jiang Chen laughed. “Don’t even think about sowing discord between me and Yue’er. You should keep your own Han Yuyang in line.”

Han Yuyang, who had remained silent all this time, lifted his eyes and shot Jiang Chen a glare.

Just then, a knocking sound came from beyond the courtyard gate.

At this hour, who would come calling?

The four of them had only been in Golden Sun City for half a month. Given what they were here to do, they had been trying their best to keep a low profile, avoiding unnecessary outings and making no new acquaintances. If anyone had come to visit them here, it would have been highly suspicious.

Duanmu Qing immediately told Han Yuyang, “Take yourself elsewhere for a while.”

“In any case, night has already fallen. It’s time for me to be out and about. You handle this yourselves carefully; I’ll be back later.”

With that, Han Yuyang sprang over the courtyard wall in a single bound. Jiang Chen came to the door and called out cautiously to the person outside.

“Who is it?”

“Yingying from the Drunken Life House.”

Jiang Chen’s heart gave a sudden jolt. He had been planning to look for this woman, yet she had taken the initiative to come find him first?

At that moment, the sharp glances from the two pairs of eyes behind him made Jiang Chen distinctly uncomfortable.

“Don’t start imagining things. It is absolutely not what you think.”

He opened the door. Only Miss Yingying stood outside. Her eyes moved with dazzling grace, and she carried herself with a charm that could unsettle any woman, as though she were hiding some malicious intent.

Duanmu Qing gave a soft cough and asked, “Who are you looking for, miss?”

“Lord Jiang.”

Though Jiang Chen was deeply surprised, he forced himself to remain as calm as possible. At a time like this, he could not allow this woman to see that he was flustered.

This woman was no simple character. Had she already discovered his traces from the time he had appeared at Wang Qiaoling’s private residence?

After inviting Yingying inside, Jiang Chen asked, “What matter brings you to seek me out?”

“A very important matter. We’ll speak inside.”

Yingying revealed a forceful side of herself. She was by no means appearing before Jiang Chen merely as a girl from the Drunken Life House, for whether in the way she spoke or in the aura she gave off, she was nothing like an ordinary courtesan.

Jiang Chen turned to Wu Yue and said, “Yue’er, I need to discuss some serious matters. Don’t go wandering off in your thoughts.”

“Mm, Brother Chen, I won’t.”

With that, Jiang Chen shut the door and remained alone in the room with Yingying, though the atmosphere within was not the slightest bit of the ambiguous sort one might expect between a man and a woman.

“I can’t stay long, so I’ll speak plainly. Just who are you?”

Yingying’s keen eyes seemed as though they would see straight through Jiang Chen. The low tone of her voice, too, carried an invisible pressure.

She sat down so casually before him that she naturally exuded an imposing force. Jiang Chen felt that the person in front of him was not Yingying at all, but rather an experienced and ruthless official who had spent many years in the Ministry of Justice.

“You mean the matter of sneaking into the gambling den?”

Yingying ignored Jiang Chen’s question and said directly, “Do you know that the person hidden inside that gambling den is one of our important targets, someone we have been watching and trying to uncover for a very long time?”

“Your reckless intrusion almost frightened the snake in its hole. If you had been discovered, then everything we had done before would have been wasted.”

Jiang Chen immediately understood. “I see. Before I made my move, the fire suddenly broke out for no apparent reason. That was meant to throw the situation inside the gambling den into chaos and make it easier to cover my retreat.”

Yingying said, without confirming or denying it, “Leaving was the wisest choice. Don’t think that you alone can deal with the Black Flame Manor.”

“The Black Flame Manor?”

“That’s right. It’s a rebel organization operating in the shadows. At present, we only know they have a secret stronghold in the royal capital, but it is not easy to approach.”